It’s playoff season! But there isn’t much excitement around the Steelers.
This week at Read & React, we’ll give the recent quarterback discussion some time before transitioning to postseason talk: How can the Steelers turn this season into a success? And what should you know about the Ravens ahead of Saturday’s game?
Should Russell Wilson or Justin Fields start in the playoffs?
Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images
RB: First things first, it’s important to acknowledge that the Steelers starting Justin Fields in the Wild Card round is something that just isn’t going to happen unless a “who are you and what have you done with Mike Tomlin” situation occurs. Ryan and I both know that — but after several games that have all felt very similar and very depressing, this seemed like a good, somewhat popular hypothetical question to spark some discussion. Although maybe more realistic, it feels too soon to lead off with the “Should the Steelers trade for Tyreek Hill,” headline, no?
With the context out of the way, here’s the case for sticking with Russell Wilson this week:
The foundation is a little shaky. Wilson has not played well over the last few weeks, and my postgame columns haven’t been the kindest to the veteran passer. Truth be told, if I was forced to pick one realistic quarterback option to lead the team next year, I’d probably go with Fields right now.
I don’t think he’s the franchise quarterback of the future, but his odds of achieving that title are far better than Wilson’s at this stage in their careers. Plus, the quality of the 2025 free agent and draft classes at quarterback make Fields look like a necessary piece to bring back next season, even if it’s likely to be a short term rental.
But that’s looking ahead to the offseason. The playoffs are here and now, in less than a week. And Wilson is the starter at the moment. To make a quarterback switch this late in the season means suddenly pulling a respected veteran, implementing a slightly different offense, and trying to patch a hole that’s far from the only one sinking the Steelers’ season at the moment. It’s a desperate move that probably won’t result in drastic change for the better.
To evoke a Tomlinism, this is the bed the Steelers made this season, and they have to sleep in it.
Beyond that, it’s far from a guarantee that Fields would be a better option against the Ravens; Wilson has looked bad lately, but at his peak this season he was outplaying Fields. Wilson’s struggles only became a problem in a stretch of games that was by far the hardest this season for either player.
Wilson’s play over that stretch was enough to pump the brakes on his Steelers future, but not pull the plug on his current season entirely.
I’ll add that any argument about playing Fields this week mainly to develop him for next season just doesn’t hold any water. Why? The same reason why NFL players and coaches don’t tank in the final game of the season despite NFL Twitter’s advice, but amplified to a fever pitch because it's the playoffs.
The Steelers’ coaches aren’t thinking about draft positioning, the season next year, or any sort of long-term team-building at the moment. The sole focus is winning the Super Bowl because they’re one of 14 teams that got the chance to compete for it. You wouldn’t want that mindset to be any different even if Pittsburgh’s chances of making it to New Orleans seem rather slim.
The focus needs to be on which quarterback gives the Steelers the best shot at winning a playoff game this week. Right now, I still think the right option is Wilson.
RP: I’d put the chances of a quarterback switch ahead of the game this weekend at roughly the same odds as the NFL awarding Chris Boswell the MVP. A charming idea, but one almost certainly based outside of reality. When Fields spoke with reporters yesterday, he shared that he was healthy and is always in the mindset of being ready to play. In other words, the typical backup quarterback company line.
I don’t expect a change, but I hope head coach Mike Tomlin would be open to the idea during the game if the Steelers find themselves struggling out the gates again. Regardless of the quarterback, some of that blame lies on Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith. The Steelers haven’t scored on an opening drive this entire season. Smith has been slow to change a running game that has largely been ineffective, especially in the 13 personnel formation he has used so often.
We knew the MO of both these quarterbacks going into the season. Neither Wilson nor Fields has shown that they can consistently attack the middle and intermediary parts of the field. If an offense has areas of the field it won’t and/or can’t access, that just makes their margin for error that much slimmer. And if you and I are able to spot that fatal flaw, you can sure as hell bet NFL defenses can too. In fact, we’ve seen that’s true on Hard Knocks.
Fields got the Steelers to 4-2. Wilson started off hot, but ultimately went 6-5. I’ve staked my case that Fields and Russ are similar players, and I’ve grown more confident in that as the season has played out. When faced with two inconsistent quarterbacks, I’ll always lean towards youth and athleticism as tiebreakers. Mike Tomlin disagreed and it’s hard to say he was entirely wrong with the team earning a playoff bid. Still, Russ has made some mind-numbing mistakes and Pittsburgh’s offense has cratered (14.3 PPG) during a stretch that rivals any of the lowest points of the Matt Canada era.
If the Steelers lose in the Wild Card round, Russ should not be back. I said as much back in April:
The Steelers famously have not won a playoff game since 2016. While I don’t consider wins to be a quarterback stat, any talks of extending Wilson will start and end there. If the Steelers miss the playoffs, Wilson won’t be back. If the Steelers offense is middling during the season and they make another quick playoff exit, Wilson should be gone. Barring a playoff run, the only path to a Wilson extension that I see would depend on him keeping turnovers to a minimum and the Steelers offense ranking in the top half of the league in scoring and efficiency.
That’s why I hope if the Steelers fall behind early, Tomlin embraces the risk of a change back to Fields. They might get lucky and catch Baltimore off guard after they’ve spent the week preparing for Wilson. The Steelers desperately need some explosive plays on offense, and if Wilson’s vertical passing game has been game-planned out by opposing defenses, Justin Fields’ legs provide the next best shot at creating big plays.
Plus, with the quarterback market looking bleak for the 2025 offseason, Wilson and Fields may again be among the top available choices on the market. Russ will be another year older and he’s proven that he’s not the stable veteran he was advertised to be.
Other veterans available could be the ghosts of Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, Jameis Winston and Marucs Mariota. None of these names inspire any confidence that they are better than Wilson or Fields. Sam Darnold was a name I saw trending over the weekend, but while 2024 has been Darnold’s best and most consistent season, he showed against the Lions why he’s still a streaky passer that might not achieve the same highs in a different ecosystem.
The hard truth is that barring the Steelers winning the lottery with a midround rookie quarterback, Fields is the best crack at a young quarterback the Steelers have in the immediate future.
What would make this season a success for the Steelers?
Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images
RP: There’s understandably been a lot of frustration around the Steelers these past few weeks. Prior to the season, I would have said a 10-win season and at least one playoff game win would be signs of success and progress. Coming into the season, R&R had fairly low expectations. I predicted the Steelers would make the playoffs as a wild card, and sure enough, they did. A lot of young players have shown flashes this season and if I remove the past four games from my mind, I ultimately believe the Steelers have a good roster that could be even better with some key additions in 2025.
All of those should have Steelers Nation optimistic. And yet, it’s hard to get the stink of the last four games out of my mind. The Steelers don’t appear to have a long-term answer at quarterback on their roster. Until they figure that position out, their Super Bowl aspirations will be all that much harder to accomplish. Their cornerstone players on defense — Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, and Minkah Fitzpatrick — aren’t getting any younger. The offense in many metrics actually regressed from the 2023 version. Would a win over Baltimore and then a Division round loss still have us feeling good? Right now, I’m not sure it would, but I still think it’s the first step.
RB: I echo Ryan in that a single playoff win is a step in the right direction. It’ll calm some of the doom and gloom around the organization and rightfully so. It’s an obstacle that the Steelers haven’t hurdled in a surprisingly long amount of time, so that would be a nice way to end the season even if it followed with a loss in the Divisional round the next week.
But a success? That’s a strong word. Not to move the goalposts too far, but I’m not sure if a Wild Card victory does it anymore. That isn’t to get into a “Super Bowl or failure” mindset, but generally the reason to be optimistic after a playoff loss is the belief that the team can go even farther the next season.
As Ryan alluded to above, the Steelers don’t have that young, exciting core to make that sentiment possible. The quarterback situation is increasingly worrying, the defensive stars keep getting older, and the team’s best receiver is starting to look like a player who may not get a second contract in Pittsburgh.
So, beyond a Super Bowl victory which would be the most successful outcome— hopefully this is obvious — I think it would take some playoff wins, coupled with younger players on the roster stepping up and positive coaching adjustments, to leave this Steelers season on the right note.
More specifically, that means George Pickens and Joey Porter Jr. looking like the superstars they were drafted to be (more specifically, Pickens’ play needs a boost). Patrick Queen, Payton Wilson, Keeanu Benton, and Pat Freiermuth need to look like building blocks for the future. The young offensive line needs to have a statement game.
It’s not going to be that easy, and it certainly won’t turn out that perfect, but that’s the blueprint: beyond just a win, show some potential. We’ve seen glimpses of it all season, but not enough lately to build overwhelming confidence in the position groups mentioned above headed into the future.
Style points don’t matter if the Steelers win the Super Bowl, but if they don’t make it that far, playing competitively against a good field of playoff teams is a must. Build some optimism that the team could come back and win it all next year with some realistic changes.
Game Notes: Steelers vs. Ravens
Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images
Read & React already previewed the Baltimore Ravens this season — you can read that article HERE. As a result, we’ll be providing some up-to-date thoughts on the Steelers’ upcoming opponent instead of another preview, showing what’s changed since the last time the two teams met.
RB (defense): Remember back before the first Steelers-Ravens game, where it seemed like there was a decent chance that Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh offense would tear up the Ravens’ 32nd-ranked passing defense? Simpler times.
It’s changed, but not just because the Steelers’ passing attack has fallen into disarray. The Ravens’ defense has taken strides since its early season miscues.
Marlon Humphrey is having an All-Pro-worthy year at cornerback. First-round corner Nate Wiggins is starting to come into his own, while Kyle Hamilton has switched back to a mainly free safety role which has helped firm things up. Ar’Darius Washington and Tre’Davious White have become solid secondary pieces as well.
(Brandon Stephens is still a weak spot in this defense and should be targeted with a moon ball to George Pickens whenever it becomes available.)
Over their last five games, the Ravens have only allowed over 20 points once. They’ve also only had one quarterback pass for over 200 yards against them in that span.
Even Mike Tomlin has been complimentary of the turnaround, giving credit to Dean Pees, who is currently a senior advisor for Baltimore and a significant part of the team’s defensive improvement.
Mike Tomlin extremely complimentary of Dean Pees & the way he's helped settle down Baltimore's pass defense:
“The most significant thing about them is the transformation they're undergoing defensively. … I think Coach Pees is a significant component of it. … They're about… pic.twitter.com/Gr3feDBOL7
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltim0re) December 18, 2024
In the other phase of the game, the Ravens still boast the NFL’s top run defense with a ridiculously underrated front seven. If you didn’t get the vibe from the first two matchups, this is going to be a tough defense to play once again for the Steelers.
On the injury front, there isn’t a ton to report. Former Steeler Anthony Maulet has been on injured reserve since late November. Kyle Hamilton is currently limited with a knee injury, but there doesn’t seem to be any chatter about it affecting his game status.
RP (offense): The big development this week is the knee injury suffered by Zay Flowers in the regular season finale. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has called Flowers “day-to-day.” It seems like Flowers will miss this week, but his teammates seem to think he’ll make a strong push to play.
If he is unable to suit up, that will give the Steelers one less thing to worry about. The Ravens use Flowers in a multitude of ways, but where he has proven the most difficult for them is after the catch. The Ravens' design looks to get Flowers open all over the field, but his absence likely means any work in the short area near the line of scrimmage could shift to running back Justice Hill — who’s back at practice after suffering a concussion — Keaton Mitchell and their Swiss-Army knife tight end Isaiah Likely.
Even with an absent Flowers, the Steelers would still have to contend with tight end Mark Andrews who abused the seam and took advantage of the Steelers' miscommunication in the red zone the last time these teams played. Wideout Rashod Bateman is no slouch either and is having his own breakout year.
Remember when Mark Andrews was being dropped at the beginning of the season. Now he might advance you to the next round in your fantasy playoffs…
pic.twitter.com/Q8GUummovW
— Tipp Major (@tippmajor) December 21, 2024
I think the Steelers are well equipped to at the very least slow down the rushing attack of Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson, but we saw how a poor tackling game from the Steelers could negate their usual success against Baltimore. The Ravens provide a lot of headaches even if one of their best players is out. The Steelers' defense will need to have their communication sound like it was in their first meeting with the Ravens if they hope to prolong their season.
Join in on Steelers Read & React by sharing your takes on this week’s topics. What quarterback do you want to see starting on Saturday? What would make the season a success in your eyes? Let us know in the comments! Feel free to pitch future questions in the comment section, on Twitter/X: tag @_Ryland_B or @RyanParishMedia, or via email at steelersreadnreact@gmail.com.
